The Spoons headline 'The Spirit of the '80s Reunion'

"It was really a good time for people," Gordon
Deppe says of the 1980s. "A lot of good memories. Positive
economics. People were just having fun. It was like 10 years of
Halloween, in a way.

"People say, 'It was all sex, drugs and rock
'n' roll.' No! It was all about hair and how you dressed and
having fun. I think that stuck with people."

What stuck with the Lewiston-Porter Class of 1987
was the music Deppe and his band, the Spoons, were making in the
decade of ALF, Rubik's Cube and designer jeans.

To celebrate its 25th class reunion, and to raise
money for a new scholarship, the Class of 1987 is teaming with the
Spoons for a radical night of live music. "The Spirit of the '80s
Reunion" will take place on Saturday, Aug. 11, inside Academy Park
in Lewiston (following the Art Festival).

"We wanted to do something a little unique and a
little different from what other people do," says Michael Hanrahan,
the concert organizer and a member of the Class of 1987.

He and his classmates joked about booking the
Spoons for their class reunion. On a whim, Hanrahan contacted Deppe
on Facebook.

"I never really thought we'd get an answer
that they'd agreed to it," he says.

But that's exactly what happened.

Born and raised in Canada, the Spoons haven't
really performed in the U.S. since 1989 - at the tail end of the
band's first wave of success (think songs "Nova Heart," "Old
Emotions" and "Tell No Lies").

Deppe says this show makes it the right time to
return.

"Just to get down to the states. ... This gig
alone kind of woke that (desire) up," he says. He expects this show
will "open up the floodgates" for additional state shows.

"The groundwork has been done so we can
hopefully do some more," Deppe says.

The '80s were perfect for the Spoons'
new-wave, Brit-pop appeal. But when grunge music took root in the
1990s, "anything '80s was like mud," Deppe says.

Now, the decade of the '80s is enjoying newfound
popularity thanks, in part, to new bands borrowing heavily from that
era - in everything from hair to clothes to lyrics and synth
sounds.

"Obviously, it's changed around - to the
point where it's not just something not to be embarrassed about,
but I think it's become one of the most popular areas ever,"
Deppe says. "It's not just a nostalgia thing. You go to music
stores. There's whole sections dedicated to '80s. There's like
a '60s section; a '70s (section). You see the '80s
compilations, it's like they go on for miles."

"I think it's another genre of music that's
here to stay," Deppe says. "So when you say '80s, you don't
think of a time frame, you think of a style. Like rock. Like R&B.
Like soul. Like techno. Whatever. '80s sort of music is just
another genre that's established itself now and will always be
there. And new bands will draw from and build on ('80s music)."

"The Spirit of the '80s Reunion" is a time
for the Class of 1987 - and for all music lovers - to reconnect
with that decade's music.

"When something like this comes up, it gets
people excited," Deppe says. "And I think they want to come out
and relive that; maybe bring their kids and say, 'That was what we
used to do when we were your age or a little older.' "

Deppe says his band's new album, "Static In
Transmission," has an '80s appeal mixed with a modern feel. He
calls it the best work his band has produced.

The frontman says he's a better singer now than
when his band rose to stardom. In concert, "I think the first thing
people notice is how much more intense or energetic the music is
live."

"The songs are what you expect, but sort of
beefed up," Deppe says. "And, of course, we do all the songs
people know. We don't avoid the singles."

Hanrahan compares "The Spirit of the '80s
Reunion" to another popular Lewiston concert.

"We wanted to make this like 'The Summer of
'69,' but for the '80s," he says.

"This is something we hope to do every year,"
he adds.

"The
Spirit of the '80s Reunion" is Saturday, Aug 11, at Academy Park
in Lewiston. The Class of 1987 is hosting the reunion show, which
will include special reunion performances by The Mirrors, The
Woodroes and Mod 5/6. The event is open to the general public and
will feature an appearance by former CFNY "The Spirit of Radio"
deejay Don Berns.